I've discovered at least twenty one (21) hindrances to Divine Healing. But after further study and review, I determined that really there are just three real hindrances to healing. Or at least all twenty-one of these hindrances can be categorized into three categories. The three healing hindrance categories are ignorance, unbelief, and reaping what you sow. I want us to look in detail at each of these and look at the various ways that they manifest in our lives. We need to realize that there are many things that we say, do, or believe that slow or even stop the healing power of God on our lives. But each of these examples are manifestations of either ignorance, unbelief, or reaping what you sow.

It is easy to think that your problems are much deeper then this and this may seem like an over simplification. But I truly believe that God means what He says. He promises healing to each of His Blood-bought children. He even calls it the children's bread. So if you don't receive your healing, the problem is on your end, not on His end. He did what He promised and He has provided for your healing. The problem is that you have not yet received it. Most likely, it is because of one of these reasons you have not yet received.

 I.                     CATEGORY ONE: IGNORANCE! (Ac.10:38; Jn.10:10)

A.      Hindrance One: Traditionalism! (Mk.6:1-2)

There are a lot of people who look at their tradition and say, "that's not how my church does it" or "that's now how I was taught"; As long as you treat your tradition as more sacred than the Word of God, you will stop the flow of God on your behalf. Any kind of tradition that doesn't have it's origins in God can be a hindrance to receiving whatever it is that God has for you. Many people will reject anything that is contrary to the teachings of their denomination; Traditions of men will shut down the healing and supernatural power of God in His church; When Jesus began His ministry, it was traditionalism that prevented many people from receiving His ministry. People had a traditionally negative view of Nazareth and couldn't conceive of anything good coming from there.

B.       Hindrance Two: Rejecting Truth! (Mk.6:3-4)

People rejected Truth because they were offended by Him - they saw Jesus as too ordinary; It seems to me that they got their feelings were hurt. But they felt like they knew Jesus and they knew that He was born out of wedlock. I am sure they felt that Jesus was not qualified to be such a strong spiritual leader. They didn't think Jesus was good enough to be making the claims and the statements that He was making. They reject truth and therefore rejected their own Messiah.

C.       Hindrance Three: Lack of Good Teaching! (Ps.107:20; Pr.4:20-23)

Most churches teach that it is not always the will of God to heal you; It is not likely that you will trust God for your healing if you have not heard this truth taught. If you have not been exposed to Truth, it is pretty hard to believe Truth; Faith comes and is developed through hearing and hearing the Word of God (Rm.10:17). If you need a healing, you need to get into the Word of God - Ignorance of the Word of God and ignorance of the Covenant that He has made with you, will prevent you from receiving your healing; Also, not understanding the source and cause of sickness as well as the source of healing will slow your recovery; (Is.53; I Pe.2:24)

D.      Hindrance Four: Ignorance of the Character of God!

Many people are ignorant of the character of God - many Christians are not familiar with the nature and the will of their loving Heavenly Father; If you don't fully understand His loving nature, the fact that God is love, and that He gives only good things to His children, you may not be receptive to receive your healing (I Jn.4:7-8). You can know the character of God by looking at Jesus. Jesus, in His earthly life, was the personification of the character of God. He continually demonstrated the will of God by healing the sick. It is undeniable that the Word of God promotes healing from cover to cover; But many Christians don't understand that healing is included in the work of redemption; Ignorance of basic faith principles and the healing Scriptures will delay healing; It is important that we be constantly listening and studying the Truths of the Word of God; Yes, there is sickness in the world, but we don't have to accept it as ours. The higher truth is that we have been redeemed from the curse! Remember that Jesus told us that it is the thief (Satan) who came to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus said that He desires to give us abundant life and things pertaining to life (Jn.10:10).

E.       Hindrance Five: Ignorance of the Healing Process! (Mk.16:17-18; He.6:12)

Some will dismiss the healing message simply because they were not healed instantly; After receiving prayer and waking up the next morning with the same problem, they give up, continue accepting and expecting the problem, and continue down the path of man's remedies. But Scripture clearly explains that many times healing is gradual, but healing always comes in one way or another when the true God-kind-of-faith is release. It is through faith and patience that we inherit this promise;

F.       Hindrance Six: Un-repentance! (Mk.6:12; Pr.3:7-8)

It Is Important To Turn Your Back On Sin - An unrepentant heart can hinder healing - are you clean before the Lord; Sometimes people have a known sin in their lives that they refuse to deal with; We stand in the righteousness of Jesus - But that does not give us the license to sin - flee youthful lusts; If we are knowingly and willfully walking in disobedience, healing can be delayed;

G.    Hindrance Seven: Ignorance of Authority and How to Pray a Prayer of Faith!

Ignorance of the authority that you have in Christ, the power you have in His Name, and how to pray a prayer of faith is a major hindrance. Obviously, we don't have time here to revisit all the basic principles of what it means to pray a prayer of faith. But we know that you must believe that you receive when you pray (Mk.11:24) and avoid vain-repetitions.

H.      Hindrance Eight: Ignorance of Demonic Activity!

Occasionally people don't really need a healing, but they need deliverance.

There are spirits of infirmity - Not all sickness is directly caused by demonic activity, but some certainly are; We each need spiritual discernment to know if it is a spiritual thing or a physical thing; Christians Can Become Demon Oppressed, But Not Demon Possessed.

I.         Hindrance Nine: Ignorance of Inherited Curses and How to Break Them!

Scripture does speak of inherited curses, but it also tells us that we have been set free from all curses due to the work of the cross. Once again, we have authority in Christ, the power of His Name, and the power of His Blood, so we can break any inherited curse.

II.                   CATEGORY TWO: UNBELIEF!

A.      Hindrance Ten: Lack Of Faith! (Mk.6:5-6; 9:23)

One of the biggest hindrances to Divine Healing is the lack of faith; Faith seems to be a major requirement to releasing the power of God on your behalf. Unbelief insolates and isolates the healing power of God for your life; Many Christians believe that it is not the will of God to heal them, so God does not heal them.;

B.    Hindrance Eleven: Doubt! (Mt.14:31; 21:21)

Sometime unbelief is more subtle. Perhaps you basically believe the promises of God, but you have entertained the many doubts that are thrown into your mind either by society, by Satin, or from other sources. If you don't stay diligently grounded in the Word, doubt will begin to enter in;

C.       Hindrance Twelve: Fear! (Mt.6)

Worry and fear is the opposite of faith - it's faith in reverse - believing the wrong things; Worry and fear will produce ulcers and other health problems - it is working against you; There is no fear in faith - perfect faith will cast out all fear - and faith works by love; You cannot be in faith and fear at the same time. So fear is another manifestation of unbelief;

D.      Hindrance Thirteen: Negative Confessions! (Pr.6; 18; Jas.3; Is.55:11)

The words of your mouth reveal your faith - If you are walking in faith, it'll show; It is critically important that we say about ourselves what God's Word says about us; If God says we are healed, it is okay for us to say we are healed, regardless of feelings; It's imperative that we consistently confess the Word - our words give us direction; He watches over His Word to perform it on our behalf. But we must continually be speaking His Word over our situations.

E.       Hindrance Fourteen: Double-Mindedness! (Jas.1:6-8)

It's very important that you're not wavering in faith, but are "fully persuaded" (Rm.4). Some speak words of faith, but their actions contradict their words (Jas.2). Some speak words of faith when they are around other faith walking people, but speak their problems at other times. These people are double minded. Scripture makes it clear that they will not receive anything from God.

F.       Hindrance Fifteen: "If It Be Thy Will" Mentality! (I John 5:14-15)

We could call this the "What ever will be, will be" perspective; Many people will claim, "God will heal me if it is His will to heal me", not understanding that His will is His Word and healing is clearly declared in It. A person who prays this way is clearly walking in doubt in unbelief. Scripture tells us that we must pray in confidence, knowing what His will is when we pray;

G.       Hindrance Sixteen: Vain Repetitious Prayer! (Mt.6:7)

Many people think that the way to get God to move on their behalf is through asking for the same thing over and over and over again, not realizing that the mere act of doing that is a demonstration of their unbelief. If you truly asked in faith, you don't need to ask again. To ask God for the same thing again and again demonstrates that you didn't truly believe that you received when you prayed the previous time;

H.      Hindrance Seventeenth: "Trying" Instead of "Trusting"! (Pr.3:5-6)

As long as you are "trying", you are not fully "trusting" - Don't "try", but "do"! You cannot "try" faith - True faith never "tries" anything;

I.        Hindrance Eighteen: Sorrow! (Pr.17:22)

Sadness, Depression, Or Simply Not Walking In Joy...Joy & Laughter Is Like Medicine. Joy is a manifestation of faith. If you lost your joy, you are no longer walking in the God-kind-of-faith; Sorrow can introduce many ailments into your body and mind. Joy and laughter is like medicine and will aid the healing process;

J.       Hindrance Nineteen: Impatience! (He.6:12; Mk.11:23-24; II Peter 3:9)

Faith without patience just simply isn't faith. We have to understand that God's timing is perfect. On our part, we must believe that we receive when we pray. If we are getting impatience about the manifestation, then we d apparently don't believe we received when we prayed. But we must know that God is not slack concerning His promises.

III.           CATEGORY THREE: REAPING WHAT YOU SOW! (Jas.5; Ga.6:7-9 )

A.      Hindrance Twenty: Improper Health Practices!

You can have all the faith in the world, but if you are consistently dining on fast food, don't expect prolonged healthy living; Unsanitary hands, bad eating habits, unseasonal clothing, and other improper health practices can open the door to sickness in our lives; God  has placed natural healing nutrients in the plants that we eat. I believe very strongly in eating plenty of herbs, fiber, fruits, and vegetables for the purpose of maintaining proper healthy balance in our bodies; Our government tells us that we should eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day - I believe there is a lot of wisdom in that; Sow healthy habits into your lifestyle and reap a healthy body.

B.      Hindrance Twenty-One: Un-forgiveness! (Mk.11:25)

If you are not in right standing with your brothers, it hinders the flow of the power of God; Jesus said that if you expect Him to forgive you, you must forgive others; Unity in the body of Christ is important in order for His supernatural power to flow;
 

SEVEN POINTS OF HEALING! ( I Pe.5:8)

I.          BE SOBER! Be calm and collective in your temperament - not overly emotional, not controlled by the soul;

II.             BE VIGILANT! To give strict attention to something;

III.           YOU HAVE AN ADVERSARY! It is wise to know that you have an enemy. The devil and his cohorts are out to get you. The further you go with God, the harder and harder he'll be fighting against you.

IV.          YOUR ADVERSARY IS LIKE A LION! He is not a lion, but he is like one. He is an imitator. He wants to imitate the true Lion of Judah. Satan is LIKE a lion.

V.            YOUR ADVERSARY MAKES A LOUD ROAR! This is to scare you. His key weapon is fear;

VI.                 YOUR ADVERSARY WALKS! But Scripture tells us that we are running, but he is walking. We have so many advantages over our enemy. There is little excuse for defeat;